When and Why I learned Ancient Hebrew

When I took it upon myself to learn Ancient Hebrew in order to study the Old Testament in its original script the people that struggled the most in class were those that knew modern Hebrew. The reason was the languages are very different even though they share some common forms. Words in modern Hebrew quite often mean something completely different than in Ancient Hebrew. They are not even similar in meaning. For example the word Golem means embryo. An almost identical word in another language, aramaic, means unfinished vessel.

Psalms 139: 13-16 For you finished my inmost being, you knit me together in my mothers womb. I thank you because I am awesomely made,wonderfully; your works are wonders. I know this very well. My bones were not hidden from you when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes could see me as an emryo (golem), but in your book all my days were already written; my days have been shaped before any of them existed.

This was part of King David's song of a leader who was chosen by God. God knew all the chosen ones decisions before they were made. God was with him no matter were he went on earth or after death. That is followed by the part quoted above. David wrote this believing it was about himself but as is the case with most of the psalms of David and the events in his life are actually about Christ. I am sure David didn't think of himself as a programmed robot dull of mind nor did anyone else. That is what anti semitic bigots want people to believe. WOW.

Now a different root letters than gimel lamed mem as in golem is the root gimel lamed lamed which means to roll or roll away. It has a noun form geelool that only appears in the plural form in the Bible geelooleem means idols or logs, shapeless things,doll images, dungy things. In modern Hebrew third person plural posessive for of the singular noun would be geelam which means their (shapeless thing, doll image or ...). Ancient Hebrew has vowel pointing to make the pronunciation known. Modern hebrew all vowels are implied in the written form. So in modern Hebrew both words from completely different roots and with completely unrelated meanings are glm (gimmel lamed mem). You can see how easily someone that only knows modern Hebrew can get very confused on the meaning of Ancient Hebrew.